Eight months later.....

"Let me go !" I said in exasperation.

"No, you're gonna stay here." He ordered and gestured me to sit down.

"They're gonna catch us if I won't go now." I tried to explain him but he pretended to be deaf. "Leo, please." I pleaded although I knew if he'll allow me or not, I'll just go.

"No.'His replied sternly and I knew if I won't make a move right now, they'll catch us and I couldn't afford losing this mission.

We were after a gang who had been kidnapping kids to sell their body parts. We had already rescued the children but the few members of the hand ran away. Four were caught. Two left.

We were now in a dense,thick forest hiding behind a bush and waiting for the members to arrive  to kick their asses and go home as soon as we could. Leo suggested this plan and I was against it. I needed to go home and sitting there was only time-consuming.

I huffed and —as quietly as I could—started sliding back. But my luck was dig deep in earth as Leo caught my wrist and pulled me towards me.

'Don't.' He warned. The nearness of our faces made my breath hitched. I opened my mouth to say something but no words come out so I merely nodded. He stared at me and in the moonlight filtering out of the leaves, something flashed in his eyes but it disappeared as soon as I could catch what it was. He whipped his head away and looked at the opposite direction.

'We should change our position.' He stood up and began walking thinking that I'd follow him but in my mind, I had already decided to leave him. . He started walking forward thinking that I would follow him but instead I got the opportunity and ran away. I was sick of following him and wanted to find my own way and so did I.

I ran through the dense forest and stopped when I heard the leaves being crushed . My instincts urged me to hide behind a tall tree. With the growing loudness of footsteps every second, I drew out my knife and waited for their arrival.

'Someone's here!' One shouted.

Waiting there for any other second would be a mistake and I made one.

I stooped down as one stabbed the knife in the tree trunk right above my head(and probably in my head if I wouldn't've bent down). He looked down , groaning as he conjectured that he missed the target.

I smirked and raised my knee up to where the sun never shines. He crouched forwards while the other one ran for me. I grabbed the arm of the bent one, twisted it above my shoulder until he whined and snatched the gun from his twisted hand. I pulled the trigger back and shot the man running towards me in the head.

From the corner of my eye, the bent one twitched. He charged at me. I ducked. In no minutes of time he froze with his fist drawn back, his right leg forward and his left leg bleeding as I stabbed him right in his thigh. I rolled to my side to avoid the very punch I should've received a while ago. He lent against the tree to support himself. He hauled his gun out from his pocket...

'Elsa!' Leo yelled my name from a distance capturing my attention for the briefest of second.

BAM!

I was thrown across the tree I first considered hiding. My back hit a rock. Leo shot the man —who had his gun at me —in head and he fell instantly. Leo propped himself up and outstretched his hand for me. I grimaced as my spinal cord straightened and sent waves of pain down my body.

'You good?' Leo asked once I stopped making weird faces.

'I guess.' I looked down the men. Once was shot in the head and the other one was shot twice in the chest and my knife was stabbed in his thigh. Well we lost our bonus because of it. I limbed towards a man and kneed down.

'What actually were you thinking?' Leo asked.

'Trying to get away from you I guess.' I shrugged and gripped the knife handle.

'I told you not to.'

'I know.'

'Then why?'

I huffed, unclenched my fingers from the handle and stood up, facing him. 'You know what? You tell me a lot of things but your cold posture didn't help any of it.' I retorted.

He took a step forward. 'I have a whole lot experience than you. It's better for you to listen to me.' He hissed. 'We're partner for reason.'

'Exactly.' I clapped. 'We're partners Leo. But I don't feel it. It's always you telling me what to do where to go and blah blah. Ever considered listening to me?'

'Elsa I have more experi—

'Oh for God's sake! Stop your experience shit! I know it. But experience doesn't mean you can't listen to anyone else!' I exclaimed. 'If you have these many problems then why don't you go and team up with some more experienced?'

Leo stared at me. His calculating eyes bore into mine. I stared back mustering up the courage. A muscle in his jaw spasmed. He took a deep breath and finally spoke. 'Let's go home. We'll inform dieners and agency about their location. I reckon they'll be here quite soon—

'Leo could you just leave?!' I said. Even though eight months had passed, for me killing was just as horrible as it had been the very first time I accidentally shot a kidnapper back in the head. The memory remained fresh and clear in my mind as if such accident just occurred yesterday and now , the blood from both of their bodies touted a oil spill—dark and horrible. I took a step back with my eyes horrifically wide opened.

'Come on now. We'll inform the dieners. They'll take care of it.' Leo said boringly.

'Could you just stop talking like that.'

'What? It's the part of this job. Grow used to it.'

I closed my eyes. I wanted him to shut his mouth. How could you easily say it like that? How could I grow used to it? And maybe, if this job continued, maybe I'll turn as him—bitter and cold. 'I can't.'

'You have to. Stop being such a little girl and crying over them.'

'I CAN'T!' I shouted at top of my lungs.

'Fine then! Keep crying and mourning! If you would've listened to me and stayed behind, this won't have happened. I'm going home now. If you wish to, you can come back!' Without another word , he turned around and walked away. His body hid in the dark and then his shadow—following him, disappeared too.

I decided walking away too. Their dead bodies were not bring tees in my eyes anymore, rather my will to puke only grew. I kneed beside a man and pushed out the knife out of his body. The blood seeped out of the already wound. I looked away and decided to go home. Maybe. I thought. If I go home, I'll be okay.

I recalled our way in the forest to get out but failed a couple of times and found myself in the same spot again and again. It took me about an hour or so when my eyes finally met light other than the moonlight confirming me my exit.

I headlight of my bike blinked as I pressed the button on my remote. I put on my helmet and tied the strap under my chin and slid down my face shield. I swung my leg over the body, kicked the stand up, turned the bike to prime my engine. I pulled the clutch and started the bike. The engine revved and I smoothly release the clutch letting my bike go on a slow speed. I needed to get home but I wasn't keen of seeing Leo's cold face.

▪️▪️▪️
I rang the bell and Jake opened the door with his usual smile plastered onto his face—real, warm , sweet and everything I needed at that per moment.

'Finally!' Jake exclaimed and pulled me in a hug. I grimaced as the sudden pulling cause I was damn sure my back was scarred.

'Jake, I'm hurt.' I said slowly.

He let go immediately. 'Oh! Sorry.' He looked down embarrassingly.

'It's okay. I just need to take some rest.' I assured and walked in the room.

I rolled my eyes as twins' loud voices welcomed my eyes. 'Aust you seriously had the last one!' Justin barked.

'You ate it idiot! Besides, they weren't big enough.'

'Austin they were double decker!'

I walked up to them. 'Guys, keep it low would you?'

They sensed my presence and smiled. 'Thank god you're here! Now tell us what should we order?' Justin pulled me into a seat and shoved me a menu.

'What is this?'

'Burger King.' Justin and Austin chimed.

'For?' I raised my eyebrows.

'Another mission accomplished!' They both fist bumped.

'Oh.' I said in a low voice.

'So?' Jake sat beside me and Justin asked.

'So?' I questioned.

'What should we order?'

'I don't know. Whatever you guys want.'

'Hey you finished your mission too eh?' Jake interrupted.

'Yes actually.' I answered and stole a glance at Leo who had his headphones up and was clearly lost in his own world not even bother to shoot me a glance.

'Ohmygod!' Austin squealed and I smiled. I knew I had a lot of side effects of this job like killing, fighting, arriving each day with a new bruise, waking up early, paying my debt to mom; but in between all that, I was glad I became part of it. Twins never left a chance to make me smile and Jake was always there to make my day with his smile. 'Honey, now don't you dare say no.'

'Ok.' I said with a smile.

'I'll go with a original chicken sandwich and chicken fries.' I started.

'Ok.' Justin said marking ticks across the pictures.

'I'll go with chicken nuggets and frozen Fanta cherry Icee.' Jake said.

'Boring.' Justin deadpanned but ticked anyways.

'I'll have a jalapeño King sandwich, a large Coca Cola and hash browns.' Justin said and ticked himself the pictures.

'Ooh I'll have that double decker pound king, that American brew house king, that original chicken sandwich with those onion fries, that BBQ crispy chicken sandwich with those chicken fries, hash browns my personal favourite and chicken nuggets of course with frosted frozen coke.' He said in such a rush (without looking at the menu even. He had memorised it) that we had to blink to take in his words. 'And green salad.' He finished.

None of us said a single word.

'Was it too much?' Austin asked innocently.

'No, a bit too fucking hella quite much.' Jake rephrased.

'Hey what about that double decker burger you two were fighting upon?' I pipped in and Austin and Justin froze.

'Er... you heard?'

I shrugged. 'You were quite loud. So you two already had celebrated eh?' I arched my eyebrow.

'Hahahaha.' Austin started fake laughing and began clapping and soon Justin joined in two. They both laughed madly. 'She thinks that that burger was enough for us hahahaha.' Austin wiped a fake tear off his cheek.

'She thinks those were our celebration?' Justin slapped his palm on top of the table and threw his head back to laugh.

'She thinks we'll celebrate without her.'

'She thinks we're that selfish.'

'She thinks we only ate two burgers.' Austin said and Justin stopped laughing immediately.

'Wait what?' I said.

'Hahahaha how funny!' Austin began laughing again and punched me playfully on my arm.

'Hahahaha.' I joined in two and punched Jake on his arm who joined this game of fake laughter two. Jake passed the punch to Justin laughingly.

Austin fell off the chair.

Justin had punched him a little too harder.

We all stopped laughing and looked down as Austin laid limply on the floor. He said nothing neither did he moved.

Worried soon etched on our faces. 'Aust?' Justin kneeled down beside his brother and shook him. Austin didn't move. 'Hey bud.' Justin called and shook him more but Austin didn't say or move in any way. 'Hey wake up.' Austin still didn't move.

Justin looked up at me and huffed. I raised my eyebrows asking what's wrong but he huffed again and looked back at Austin. 'I'll pay.'

'Hahahaha.' Austin popped his eyes open and laughed a real laugh. 'I love you!'

'Don't.' Justin said. A small smile trying to escape from his pursed lips.

Yup, I was totally glad to be a part of this family.

oOo

Hey guys,I know it took me ages to write it but it's here anyway so yay!Thank you so much guys for giving me your reviews. It means a lot to me.
Love, huzaila 💕